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NATURAL HISTORY. 



THE ORYXES.* 



Of the Antelopes there is a fairly well-marked section, distinguished by the possession of horns in 

 both sexes, at the same time that the body is peculiarly deep at the shoulder, whilst the lengthy tail 

 is cylindrical and tufted at the extremity. Among these there is a mane along the neck in three 

 closely-allied species, the BLAUBOK, or Equine Antelope of South Africa, the SABLE ANTELOPE of the 

 Transvaal and the eastern coast of Africa, and BAKER'S ANTELOPE, or the Maarif of Upper Nubia, as 

 well as in the ORYX, which is found in many parts of Africa, the BEISA of Abyssinia, the BEATRIX 

 ANTELOPE of Arabia, and the GEMSBOK of South Africa ; whilst in the not distant ADDAX ANTELOPE 

 of North Africa there is no nape-mane, but a slight one on the throat. 



In the Blaubok, which stands more than four feet and a half at the shoulder, with a glaucous, 

 grey coat upon a black skin ; in the Sable Antelope, which stands four feet and a half, being black 

 except upon the abdomen, as well as in streaks upon the face, which are white ; and in Baker's Antelope, 

 which stands four feet eight inches, being of a pale fulvous liver colour, the horns are two feet and 

 more in length, and curved gently backwards, being ringed transversely except at the tips, where they 

 are smooth. In the Oryx, the Beisa, the Beatrix Antelope, and the Gemsbok, the lengthy conical 

 horns, although similarly ringed, are much more slender, starting backwards in a line with the face, 

 whilst in those previously mentioned they rise at an angle from it, being straight in the Gemsbok and 

 Beisa, very slightly curved backwards in the Beatrix, and more so in the Oryx. In the nearly allied 

 Addax the similarly-constructed horns are gently twisted in a corkscrew manner. All these last- 

 mentioned Antelopes are pale in colour, being almost white, with the throat protected by long 

 black hair. 



Whilst speaking of the Beisa Antelope, Mr. Blanford remarks that " the appearance of a herd of 

 Oryx is very imposing. They are some of the most elegant and symmetrical of animals, the motions 



* The genus Oryx. 



